all right, and only just got
the water on deck. It was as well, though, that we were lying
becalmed. As it was, she jumped away directly she felt it. I was
just able to see the brigantine, and it seemed to me that she had a
narrow escape of turning turtle."

"Yes, they were too much occupied with us to be keeping a sharp
lookout at the sky, and if it had been a little stronger it would
have been a close case with her. Thank God that it was no worse.
Can you make her out still?"

"Yes, sir, I can see her plainly enough with my glasses."

In a quarter of an hour the strength of the squall was spent. The
wind then veered round to its former quarter, taking the Osprey
along at the rate of some five knots an hour.

The wounded were now attended to. George Lechmere found that the
ball had broken Frank's collarbone and gone out behind. Both he and
Frank had had sufficient experience to know what should be done,
and after bathing the wound, and with the assistance of two
sailors, who pulled the arm into its place, George applied some
splints to the broken bone to keep it firm, and then bandaged it
and the arm.

One of the sailors had a wound in the cheek, the ball in its
passage carrying off part of the ear. One of the men sitting in the
bow had a broken arm, but only one of the others was seriously
hurt. Frank went on deck again as soon as his shoulder was bandaged
and his left arm strapped tightly to his side.

"I suppose that she is still gaining on us, Hawkins?"

"Yes, she is dropping us. I reckon she has gone fast, sir, fully
half a knot, though we have got all sail set."

"There is one comfort," Frank said. "The coast from here as far as
the Bec is so precipitous, that they won't have a chance of putting
the boat ashore until they get past that point, and by the time
they are there daylight will have broken."

Chapter 16.

The stars were bright, and with the aid of a night glass the
brigantine was kept in sight; the sailors relieving each other at
the masthead every half hour. Frank would have stayed on deck all
night, had not George Lechmere persuaded him to go below.

"Look here, Major," he said. "It is like enough that we may have a
stiff bit of fighting tomorrow. Now we know that those fellows have
guns, though they may be but two or three pounders, and it is clear
that it is not going to be altogether such a one-sided job as we
looked for. You have had a long day already, sir. You have got an
ugl